Open Space Grants to Preserve Nearly 3,000 Acres Of Land Across Connecticut

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced awards of more than $9 million in Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition grants to support 35 communities in purchasing 2,732 acres to be preserved as open space.
 
“Land conservation is an important investment in our future, and moves us closer to meeting our goal of protecting 21 percent of Connecticut’s land as open space in the next ten years,” said Governor Malloy.  “These preservation projects are key to maintaining our high quality of life and making Connecticut a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”
 
The program, administered by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) assists land purchase using state bonds and funding from the 2005 Community Investment Act.
 
Land purchases help Connecticut achieve the goal to protect 673,210 acres of land by 2023.  Connecticut has 496,182 acres designated as state or local open space lands, 73.7 percent of the goal. More than $109 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies to assist in the purchase of 27,440 acres of land in 128 cities and towns.
 
“The community gardens initiative was added to the open space grant program in 2007 to address land preservation needs in urban areas,” said Daniel C. Esty, DEEP Commissioner. “This portion of the grant program acknowledges that preserving places people care about is as important in our cities and inner suburbs as it is in more rural areas.”
 
The projects funded under this year’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program include:
 
Project Title               Chotkowski Property
Sponsor                      Town of Berlin
Town                           Grant Amount                                    Total Area
Berlin                          $500,000                                             71.1 acres
 
Description: This former farm is located on the east side of Chamberlain Highway (Rt. 71).  This property is adjacent to other protected lands and will create a continuous open space corridor of 488 acres.  The Metacomet Loop Trail will be located on this property and link into the Metacomet Trail (NE Scenic Trail).